Import MP3 to play alongside score
Apologies if this has been proposed elsewhere. Is it possible (or could it be possible) to import an MP3 into MuseScore to play alongside your track? Akin to what musescore.com does with video scores - only with audio. It would really help with transcription so you could play one measure over and over until the notation and the audio lined up.
Comments
You can actually achieve this result using 2.3 + MuseScore Drumline.
You are not importing the audio file, but you able to play it back synchronized with the score.
Here's how to do it.
STEP 1 - Install MuseScore Drumline
https://musescore.org/en/mdl
STEP 2 - Add Sampler Instrument
Create a new score and add the instrument MDL Sampler (or add to existing score).
STEP 3 - Set Up A Rig
Using one of a number of different virtual rigs (Mainstage 3, Ableton LIve, etc.) import your audio file to create a sample and assign to a specific MIDI pitch.
STEP 4 - Configure MIDI Out in MuseScore
Go to Preferences > I/O
From the MIDI Output dropdown select the output that corresponds your rig connection (could be direct or through intermediary, depending on your particular MIDI setup)
Make sure the PortAudio checkbox is checked.
STEP 5 - Configure the MDL Sampler
a) Select the MDL Sampler staff in note entry mode.
b) Select Edit Drumset
c) Create a note that corresponds to the MIDI pitch assigned to the sample in your the rig
STEP 6 - Using the Samples
In the MDL Sampler staff, simply enter the note that corresponds to the desired sample at the appropriate count in the score.
TIPS:
You can break the samples up into segments that correspond to different rehearsal numbers or key phrases. Simply create additional samples on distinct MIDI pitches in the rig and create additional notes in the drumset palette that correspond to each MIDI pitch.
In reply to You can actually achieve… by Daniel
I've gone through all the steps here I used ableton live and I still don't get any sound.
In reply to You can actually achieve… by Daniel
Can I do this with v.3?
In reply to Can I do this with v.3? by yuriymos
MuseScore Drumline has not yet been updated for version 3.
In reply to MuseScore Drumline has not… by mike320
It's now available for v3. Wish there were an easier way to trigger an audio file at a certain point in a score, rather than have to do audio/MIDI I/O.
In reply to You can actually achieve… by Daniel
Daniel (or anyone),
Could you elaborate on setting up a virtual rig? I have no idea how to do that. More importantly, is there some open source way to do this?
In reply to You can actually achieve… by Daniel
@daniel For step 3, how do you 'set up a rig'?
Only now I'm seeing this request, after a little over a year, but anyway, the solution I see posted here, dealing with MuseScore Drumline seems so complex and with so many complicated steps! I've just tried a much simpler solution, which I know works fine, because it worked fine for me.
The problem is: how to play an MP3 file alongside with the score that is loaded in MuseScore?
My solution is:
step 1 - Create an SF2 soundbank containing just ONE sample, ONE instrument and ONE preset. This can be done easily using for example the Viena (with ONE "n", not the Creative Vienna, which requires a Creative sound board to be present in the computer). Make your MP3 file be the only sample of that bank.
step 2 - Open MuseScore and load the score you want to play with.
step 3 - load the SF2 bank you created into MuseScore, using the syntheziser panel.
step 4 - Add a new staff to the score and assign your instrument to it (use the mixer - F10)
step 5 - In the staff, add the note corresponding to the preset that was created (normally it would be C3), in the measure, or note where you want the MP3 to start playing. Make the length of that note match the length of your MP3 file, so that the sound will be played entirely. That can be one or more measures, of course.
I've done this - it's quick and easy and it works fine - it did to me.
Now, one piece of caution: the MP3 sound (assuming it's a piece of music) will have a tempo value that is already fixed, so it should be inserted into a score that has the same tempo figure, or else there will not be the necessary sincronism between the MP3 sound and the rest of the score. Of course if you need to obey the score tempo, you can reduce or increase the MP3 length to adapt it to the score tempo, before creating the sound bank. Any reasonable wave editor allows you to do that.
In reply to Only now I'm seeing this… by luizcrodrigues
In time: I forgot to mention that the MP3 file must be converted to a .WAV file, if you are going to use Viena as the sound bank creator. That's also very easy to do.
In reply to In time: I forgot to mention… by luizcrodrigues
Which sampler do y'all recommend using for this task?
In reply to Only now I'm seeing this… by luizcrodrigues
One thing to note is that doing this will cause other patches to move down the list which causes all instruments in your score to use whatever is in their place.
This is not a problem with sfz instruments though. It would mostly be better to convert the audio into an .ogg file and create an .sfz for it.
In reply to One thing to note is that… by Quads are Awesome
I noticed this when i added a new soundfont to the synthesizer , none of my other instruments play. How can I fix this?
In reply to I noticed this when i added… by jake0508
To fix this, you'll have to go into the Mixer (F10 or View > Mixer) and manually reset all the patches to whichever sounds you need.
In reply to To fix this, you'll have to… by Quads are Awesome
Or simply ensure that the default soundfont remains on top in the synthesizer..
In reply to Only now I'm seeing this… by luizcrodrigues
Hi,
Thanks for this nice tutorial.
All worked out just fine, except one thing:
"Make the length of that note match the length of your MP3 file, so that the sound will be played entirely".
The longest note I can create is a "along 9ç". That seems to span 4 bars of 4/4.
In that case, I hear the WAV playing for ... yeah exactly 4 bars :-).
Thanks for your time!
Attached screenshot.
In reply to Hi, Thanks for this nice… by maartenvd84
You can tie it further, till the end if need be. Although not with a piano sound, which will decay pretty fast, but with e.g. an organ
In reply to You can tie it further, till… by Jojo-Schmitz
Hi, thanks for the quick reply! Unfortunately, I did not succeed with an organ either. What actions should be taken to increase the length of the note (i.e. span it over multiple bars)? First insert a note and than ... ? (the note length selection bar on top is not sufficient).
FYI:
1. I'm quite new to music notation
2. I'm very new to musescore (but did go through quite a bit of reading in the manual).
Thanks,
Maarten
In reply to Hi, thanks for the quick… by maartenvd84
If you look at that longest note, you'll note it's written out as 4 whole notes that are tied to each other. In music such a tie can be entered between any number of (consecutive) notes of the same pitch, regardless their duration.
See https://musescore.org/en/handbook/ties for how to enter more of them in MuseScore.
In reply to If you look at that longest… by jeetee
Dear Jeetee,
Went through the suggested chapter. Worked like a charm!
"Note" + "+" did the job ... many times :)
Have a nice day!
Kind regards,
Maarten
In reply to Only now I'm seeing this… by luizcrodrigues
Hey Luiz,
I've been trying desperately to get an mp3 sample in my musescore files, and I'm glad someone figured out a way to do it! Seems like a huge oversight to be missing this functionality, but whatever, it's a free program. I went and made an .sf2 file of my sample (just went with whatever Viena defaulted to for the Instrument and Preset stuff, I didn't look at the manual), and was able to install the .sf2 into the SoundFont folder for MuseScore, but when I try to add it in via the Synthesizer, it gives me an error saying it cannot load it. I'm still trying to fix it now, but so far nothing's worked. Any chance you can shed some light on the issue?
In reply to Hey Luiz, I've been trying… by dennisptimmon
Got it to work! Just had to use PolyPhone instead. Now I've got the strange issue of my sample being sped WAY up! I've got tied whole notes stretching for what (should) be the length of the song, but for some reason it goes at nearly 2x speed, and then for the remainder of the score it's silent. Why might that be? I checked, there's no spot that's missing a tie/note or anything.
In reply to Got it to work! Just had to… by dennisptimmon
Same problem..
In reply to Got it to work! Just had to… by dennisptimmon
Mine is slowed down 2x.
In reply to Got it to work! Just had to… by dennisptimmon
I found the solution by reading https://www.polyphone-soundfonts.com/forum/soundfonts-help/349-time-str…
The clue was "Speed and pitch are bound to each other", so to fix 2x too slow, I double the pitch, meaning I moved the long note up an octave. In your case, try going down an octave.
In reply to Hey Luiz, I've been trying… by dennisptimmon
Just as a slight comment on the "huge oversight".
MuseScore is a score writer, not a DAW.
We implement basic playback so a composer can get a decent audio validation of what is written on paper. The number of scores that say, "now play this mp3" is quite limited compared to all other scores out there.
However when you then wish to mix, tweak and work with audio MuseScore allows you to export to a number of playback formats to allow for easy import into other programs tailored for such a purpose.
In reply to Just as a slight comment on… by jeetee
Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that MuseScore is composition software and designed to support the workflows of modern composition?
In that case, why shouldn't MuseScore support workflows that are generally more common to DAWs if those are common workflows for composers?
Why should there be a line in the sand here regarding notation software vs. DAW?
Shouldn't composition software simply support the needs of a composer, whatever those may be?
In reply to Wouldn't it be more accurate… by Daniel
There should be line because we can't do everything (and definitely not all of it at a decent level of quality). A composer needs to e-mail his work as well; but we won't include an e-mail client.
The line is not written in stone, but it is a matter of priorities and main focus.
In reply to Wouldn't it be more accurate… by Daniel
Shouldn't composition software simply support the needs of a composer, whatever those may be?
Wait a second... whatever those may be?
Every support feature has to be carefully planned, coded, tested and implemented beforehand.
"Whatever those may be" doesn't just happen.
(That's why this feature request forum exists. Wishes made here can come true.)
On the lighter side (and more extreme) realize that...
...all choices to include features in any software must be made precedently. Hopefully, they are intelligent choices. If not, simply catering to composers' needs - "whatever those may be" - can lead to:
Larger image here:
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/24/27/a6/2427a64c966df146ddbb06161799180c--av…
In reply to Just as a slight comment on… by jeetee
And guess what is helpful for writing notation from an audio source?
In reply to Only now I'm seeing this… by luizcrodrigues
An unsolvable problem: how to start the piece at arbitrary position, it seems the sound will only play if started from the start.
Didn't we discuss "provide audio backing, just as musescore.com does with video" under other threads, one of which I started, and there was dispute over whether it was useful, what the use case was, or whether I could do it by running another app in parallel? Why are we discussing how to do this with drumline and soundfonts and extremely long notes instead of the obvious, what was asked for by the OP (and myself) in the first place (although the OP's use case is much more compelling, i.e., facilitating incremental transcription).
If these explanations of how to fake it with soundfonts, drumlines, and very long notes are worthy of consideration, than the goal itself is implicitly worthy of consideration, and the easiest way to walk from here to there is to put one foot in front of the other, i.e., "import mp3 to play alongside score" as per the title of this thread.
In reply to Didn't we discuss "provide… by [DELETED] 1831606
Hi,
I'm totally in favor of having a solid solution, but would be happy with any reasonable workaround that does the job.
My use-case: I play a rather boring sounding instrument (drums), and want a backing track to play on ... while seeing the notes that actually need to be played.
Currently I'm using Melodics to learn to play the drums, but that service does not allow to import songs.
That's why I was looking into the musescore. So far: impressed!
Kind regards,
Maarten
In reply to Hi, I'm totally in favor of… by maartenvd84
Are we talking about having MuseScore create a score from an mp3? No, it sounds more like have an mp3 play along with a score. Not sure I see the value for learning to play drums. Especially a drum set. Especially if you already to have a score with a drum part. What am I missing?
Or is the score you have only the drum part? If so, where did it come from?
The other way to match playback to your mp3 would be to change the playback tempo. Then you still have to start two things.
No, I seem to remember that making a video seemed to be the best solution that was suggested in that other thread. And not difficult. Really.
In reply to Are we talking about having… by bobjp
No, no, no, and no (in answer to your questions). This is about being able to have a pre-created sound track provide the sound for a score in the desktop application the exact way it does on the site, where you can select a given measure and hear it from there, but without the use of YouTube, video, or any web site at all. This has zero to do with drums. The most obvious use is debugging by-ear transcriptions. The second most obvious use is to debug composite audios intended to be posted to the site via the YouTube kludge.
In reply to No, no, no, and no (in… by [DELETED] 1831606
OK. The thread seems to have wandered. I don't use the .com site for scores at all. Nor do I use the software for transcription. Though ed tech uses can be of interest to me. I don't know for sure that any notation software will do what you want.
In reply to OK. The thread seems to have… by bobjp
I think we're on the same page; let me just state for the record that by "transcription", here, I mean the process of trying to write down a score by listening to it, a completely manual process I used to do with cassette tape....which would be 1000 times easier if you could associate measures and audio position ...
In reply to I think we're on the same… by [DELETED] 1831606
This is an old thread, but I'd like to put my vote in for this feature too. My use case is that I am an arranger that does a lot of work adding instruments to existing recordings, for example horn parts to a pop song. So I want to hear the Musescore playback along with the original song I'm adding to. My current system for doing this involves playing the original from my DAW (Reaper), then starting Musescore playback at the same place in the score, hitting play at just the right time, including compensating for the lag in Musescore starting playback. So needless to say, it is a pretty cumbersome and error prone process! Adjust the start location in 2 different pieces of software, start one a bar early, switch to the other and start it at the appropriate time to sync everything up, ....
If Musescore could just play an MP3 or wave file along with its playback, starting it at time 0, that would be a great help to my workflow! (Finale, Sibelious, and others do offer this feature, though I realize they are paid vs. free software.)
The work-arounds suggested here have the fatal flaw that they only work if you start at the beginning of the song. That is obviously a non-starter (pun intended) for me since I need to preview the song at aribtrary locations without sitting through minutes waiting for it to happen.
In reply to This is an old thread, but I… by jon_harris7
yep, agreed.
In reply to This is an old thread, but I… by jon_harris7
As a sidenote: look into JACK and making MuseScore the timebase master should allow you to perfectly synch up the playback between MuseScore and your DAW
In reply to This is an old thread, but I… by jon_harris7
I would just like to add one more voice for this feature!
Quite often I was in a situation where I need to arrange song that is originally written for piano, for guitar. At the moment, I use some mp3 player, play a few bars and then write them down once I figure out on the guitar how to play it. But, unfortunately I'm not able to play back those bars in-sync with the mp3.
Although some people wrote here that it's daw functionality and it shouldn't be implemented in MuseScore I would strongly disagree. In fact, it seems to me that anybody who is doing transcribing and composing would benefit from such functionality.
In reply to I would just like to add one… by MarinR
If you check out the threads on the proposed designs for MuseScore 4, you'll see that adding DAW-like functionality is being strongly considered.
In reply to If you check out the threads… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks for pointing that out.
I haven't checked that thread, and I must say that I'm not really interested in adding DAW-like functionality to MuseScore. Personally, just importing and playing back audio files along with the score would be good enough for me. It would really help in a lot of situations, and if it's possible to implement just that in some update before the version 4, that would be excellent.
Oh yes, one more functionality regarding that would also be very nice. Sometimes audio files are not really in standard tuning, therefore it would really help if we could fine-tune imported audio file. I mean raising or lowering the pitch without changing the audio speed.
Thanks! :-)
In reply to Thanks for pointing that out… by MarinR
Currently there aren't any plans to have any more 3.x updates. As for including audio files, that would require the same sort re-engineering of the playback system that would be required to implement other DAW-like features that are actually considerably more in demand. You personally might prefer the audio file over anything else, but as per results of surveys and the sheer length of the aforementioned thread attest, other features things many more people are clamoring for. So you can expect things will be prioritized accordingly. On the other hand, once the playback system is re-engineered, adding audio file playback is probably easier than some of the other features.
All of which is to say, it's too early to say when you can expect such a feature, but it's likely to come at some point in the 4.x release cycle.
In reply to Currently there aren't any… by Marc Sabatella
Thank you very much for your quick and very informative responses.
If only I could get such support for some of the software I'm paying for!
In reply to Currently there aren't any… by Marc Sabatella
I am willing to do some coding to make this feature happens.
Can you post some links where to start
In reply to I am willing to do some… by scherepanov
See Contribute / Development in the menu at top of this page, that's where all the information on this kept. And be sure to join on the Discord channel and discuss your ideas with the team there - it may well be there is already work going on that you should know about it, and in any case, you will need to get design input to make your method of implementing this fits in with the overall UI plans.
Although I would use this feature often, it would have to be done in such a way that precluded the output going to "Upload Audio", or the ground rule of the site vis-a-vis royalties would be violated hourly and the copyright enforcers would shut down the site.
As a school teacher, I'd love to see this addition. I'd use it for creating classroom resources. Importing the chord images to the score and having the full song (including vocals) playing along with it, with the option to export as a scrolling movie file... That would be a perfect scenario. :)